The kanji 塗 primarily conveys the meaning of "to paint," "to coat," or "to apply something to a surface." It implies the action of spreading a substance, like paint, varnish, or cream, over another material to cover, protect, or decorate it. It can also suggest the act of smearing or applying something to a surface.

・On-yomi (音読み): ト (to) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ぬ[塗]る (nuru - to paint, to coat)

⚫︎ペンキを塗[塗]る Translation: To paint (with) paint. ⚫︎壁に絵の具を塗[塗]る Translation: To paint (apply paint) on the wall. ⚫︎クリームを顔に塗[塗]る Translation: To apply cream to one's face.

The kanji 塗 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). The semantic component is 水 (sui - water, liquid), and the phonetic component is 余 (yo), which is also a component of 餘, meaning "remaining." The inclusion of 水 (water) on the left side (meaning radical) represents that the concept of spreading the substance. The original meaning relates to applying a liquid or paste-like substance to a surface. The kanji represents the action of covering or applying something with the quality of water to something else.